Game One:
#13 LLCC loses to #10 Kirkwood 22-25, 25-22, 15-25, 11-25
LLCC started strong against #10 Kirkwood, before losing 3-1 to the Eagles. Kirkwood blitzed LLCC with six quick points behind strong blocking and hitting to start the match before LLCC turned the tables and tied things at 9-9 on two kills by Ashley Melton. LLCC though had a run of three straight errors to open a deficit that they couldn't close completely, getting within one at 21-22 on a Molly Tauke kill before losing the first set. In the second, great defensive hustle gave LLCC a 9-6 lead that wound up 10-10 on blistering Eagles serves before a Erika Miller tip and Kiley Brunstein kill sparked a run that opened a 6-point LLCC lead that wound up a 25-22 win. In the third set, the Loggers were close, leading 12-11 before two hitting errors and two of the team's four net violations broke it open for Kirkwood. Under pressure, LLCC then collapsed, losing 25-15. In tine final set, the Loggers used a different lineup and fell behind early before tying the set at 8-8. After that, it was all Kirkwood as the Loggers were outscored 17-3 the rest of the way. "We played well for two-and-a-half sets to start, then let the third get away. That was mental on our part, especially the net and ball-handling errors," Coach Dietz said. "After the third set, I made the decision to get Lainey (Jackson) some rest and Jakya (Pealer) some time setting since she's just come back from a concussion and that we'd get Olivia (Dour) some time hitting on the left. The score doesn't show it, but we were trying to do the right things out there. Hopefully, that carries over to the last match coming up today."
GAME ONE STATS:
Digs: Marusic 14, Pealer 11
Aces: Pealer 2, 5 tied w/1
Blocks: Jackson 2, Miller 1, Melton 1
Assists: Jackson 41
Kills: Brunstein 18, Tauke 13
#13 LLCC defeats #12 Muskegon 25-12, 25-14, 27-25
LLCC finished the tournament with a sweep of #12 Muskegon, leading for almost the entire match. The Loggers were led by the dominant hitting of freshman Kiley Brunstein who finished with 18 kills, hitting at a .700 clip (highest for a LLCC OH since 2015) and Molly Tauke who chipped in with 13 as well as solid team defense behind Bobana Marusic and Jakya Pealer. The only brief moment of trouble for the Loggers came in the third set after they took a 15-4 lead against the Jayhawks, permitting Muskegon to catch them at 22-22 and forcing LLCC to eventually hold off against three set points at 22-24, 23-24, and then 24-25. Coach Dietz was pleased with the effort afterwards, "I thought we came out and did everything right. We were communicating, covered hitters, the works. Kiley was hitting well and Lainey just kept feeding her the ball--what was nice was that we had other hitters like Olivia (Dour) effective with their swings, so that Muskegon struggled when they keyed on our outsides. The only hiccup was the third set--we can't waste ten point leads. I don't have enough hair remaining for that." Dietz laughed, "But we didn't completely lose our composure. We held them off and we kept playing to win rather than not lose. That's a good thing. We went 2-2 on the weekend, maybe should've gone 3-1, but it was four ranked teams once again, so I'm good with the effort. We made a couple adjustments with the lineup and have a couple of things we'll be working on as we move forward to Tuesday's two matches."
GAME TWO STATS:
Digs: Marusic 31, Thomas 13
Aces: Melton 2, Tauke 1
Blocks: Melton 2, 4 tied w/1
Assists: Jackson 30, Pealer 7
Kills: Brunstein 15, Tauke 13
Logger Record: 10-8
Next game: 4pm Triangular at home vs. John Wood, approximately 8 pm vs. Lincoln Trail
